Markey '09 belts 1st Career NCAA HR!

Posted Monday, April 16, 2012 by Keith Richardson

Photographer:

Cory Hall

The Grinnell College baseball team tied the program record for runs in a game when the Pioneers rolled to a 21-8 victory over Knox College in the opening game of a twin bill Saturday in Galesburg, Ill.

The second game was tied 8-all in the ninth inning when it was suspended due to darkness.

Grinnell’s 21 runs in the opener matches the output against Knox in a game last season.

The Pioneers also pounded out 16 hits, including three by Ronnie Gray ’12 and two by Michael Goldfien ’12, Mike Nodzenski ’12, John Spacapan ’15, Jackson Markey ’14 and Kainoa Inafuku ’14.

Markey belted his first homer of the season, while Goldfien doubled twice and Nodzenski and Spacapan once.

Grinnell erupted for nine runs in the first inning to all but put the game out of reach. Spacapan knocked in two runs with a double, Markey blasted a three-run homer, Drew Davis ’13 had an RBI single, Goldfien plated a run with a double and Nodzenski added a run-scoring single. Grinnell had seven hits in the frame.

The Pioneers made it 10-0 in the second when Gray scored on a wild pitch.

Knox cut the gap to 10-3 in the third and 10-4 in the fourth before the Pioneers tallied three runs in the fourth. Those were scored on a bases-loaded walk by Inafuku, bases-loaded hit by pitch by Davis and sacrifice fly by Goldfien.

Knox answered with four runs in the fourth before the Pioneers scored five times in the sixth. Nodzenski had a bases-loaded walk, Skelly had a sacrifice fly and Gray, Spacapan and Markey all had RBI singles.

Grinnell scored three more runs in the seventh with the aid of an RBI double by Goldfien.

Andrew Kelley '14 worked 2 1/3 hitless innings of relief to pick up the pitching win, improving his mark to 2-1 on the season.

The Pioneers are now 1-0 in the Midwest Conference and 6-12 overall, while Knox fell to 1-2 in the league and 6-11 in all games.

Grinnell steps out of league play Thursday with a game at Simpson College. The first pitch is at 4 p.m.